Joe's Creek Watershed is a drainage basin. It is one of the sites for the Great American Cleanup in Pinellas County on March 10.

Pinellas County Government

Keep Pinellas Beautiful is looking for volunteers for their cleanup event at Joe’s Creek and Cross Bayou Canal on Saturday.

The event is a prelude to The Great American Cleanup, a national effort to neaten communities around the country. That takes place March 20, the first day of spring.

During Saturday morning's cleaning, participants will collect trash both on land and water.

“Really it’s an opportunity to help beautify your community,” Tony Fabrizio, Public Information Specialist for Pinellas County said. “Both in Pinellas and Hillsborough county, you would not believe the amount of debris we pull from the waterway.”

Volunteers can bring their own canoes or kayaks. A limited number of canoes will be available to people without their own. Volunteers can also walk alongside the banks and surrounding area to help.

This event allows citizens to give back to their community, according to Fabrizio. “This is an event that our environmental management division has been doing for a number of years, it’s a really worthwhile event.”

Those interested in volunteering will have to register before 3 p.m. Thursday.

“If we don’t have volunteers to participate, the work really doesn’t get done,” Fabrizio said.